Quality Enhancement of Tapioca Starch Gel using Sucrose and Xanthan Gum

Abstract The quality of starch gel could be enhanced by sugar and hydrocolloid. Sucrose (0, 10 % and 20 %) and xanthan gum (Xan) (0.3125 %) were added in the tapioca starch (TS) gels (25 %w/w TS and TS/Xan gels) for quality investigation. Sucrose increased gelatinization temperatures of starch mixtures. Moisture content and water activity decreased with increasing sucrose content and Xan addition. Freeze–thaw stability of TS and TS/Xan gels with and without sucrose was evaluated. Sucrose and Xan decreased water separation from repeated freeze–thaw cycles. A regression model for predicting water separation from Xan, sucrose and selected freeze–thaw cycle was developed and showed a good predictability. After keeping the TS and TS/Xan gels at 5 °C for 7 and 14 days, the hardness of TS and TS/Xan gels increased with increasing sucrose content but was retarded by adding Xan ( p <0.05), suggesting Xan impeded the structure formation contributed from amylose molecule association during cold storage.